Beat Note

For my beat this semester, I have decided to cover city planning in Pullman, Wash. Although this may seem like a kind of broad beat, it's actually pretty easy to narrow down. I would like to write stories on building plans that the city of Pullman has for the near and distant future and how these plans may or may not affect the environment in Pullman. I would also like to write stories about not only how the building and planning may affect the environment, but also how it may affect the citizens in Pullman economically, personally, financially, etc.

I feel that this beat is extremely important to the people of Pullman because Pullman is a small, rural town that thrives off of agriculture and small businesses. Any new large building projects (such as the construction of Wal-mart in Pullman) can greatly affect the environment, possibly causing problems with farms, wheat fields and agriculture in general. Also, there are some fears that the Wal-mart being built will hurt Pullman's small business economy in the long-run, which obviously affects the people in Pullman.

Another problem that building and planning can cause for the citizens and students in Pullman is the problem of congestion. There are very few roads in Pullman, all of which are not extremely wide by any means. If the city starts working on any plans to build, tear up roads, etc., especially while school in in session, this will cause major delays in traffic, possibly more accidents and angry students and citizens who may not be able to get to work or school on time.

Another aspect of building and planning that is relatively new, is "green" building. I would like to write some articles about what "green" building is, what buildings here in Pullman and on the WSU campus are "green" buildings, how many buildings and structures in Pullman actually pass the environmental check list established by the city, etc.

Many issues on building and planning in Pullman have been covered, such as the new Wal-mart Supercenter that will be constructed, WSU's U-district proposal, etc. I will personally define this beat by looking into all possible negative and positive aspects of all building and planning projects in Pullman. I will look into why certain building permits are denied, as well as why others are approved. I will make sure all my stories contain information that is important to every citizen in Pullman, whether they live here permanently or are just here to attend school.

A few stories that have been written about city planning and building...
1. "Earth-friendly building" by Terry Casey: The Spokesman Review
2. "City searches for Wal-mart decision" by Michael Backman: The Daily Evergreen
3. "PARD will not take appeal to state supreme court" from staff reports: The Daily Evergreen

Stories I would like to write...
1. What will the affects on the environment be with the new and improved Wal-mart plan?
2. Construction on College Hill. What will they be doing? When will it begin? Again, what are the environmental affects?
3. People are applying for building permits all the time. Which permits have been approved and what new buildings, structures, etc., will begin?

Sources I can talk with about this information (I hope!)...
1. Pullman Planning Director: Pete Dickinson (509) 338-3213
2. Assistant City Planner: Jason Radtke (509) 338-3218
3. Public Works Administrative Specialist: Kealan Emerson (509) 338-3220